FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to ski bindings and more particularly to electronically actuated ski binding for initiating release within the binding in order to prevent or minimize injuries, especially in the lower extremities of the skier.
In view of the increasing popularity of snow skiing, a wide variety of ski bindings have been developed and made commercially available. However, even with improvement of such bindings, the increase in popularity and practice of snow skiing has been accompanied by an increase in injuries, especially in the lower extremities of skiers. Generally, ski injuries have tended to concentrate in the tibia, in the form of mid-length fracture as well as in the ankle and knee.
There has been a substantial effort to improve all types of ski equipment for minimizing such injuries including improvements in ski boots and skis themselves as well as in the ski bindings. However, much effort directed toward the elimination or prevention of such injuries has concerned the binding since it has been found that releasing the skier from the ski is one of the most effective means of protecting the skier during injury provoking situations such as falls and the like.
A copending application entitled Method and Apparatus for Programmed Release of Ski Bindings, Ser. No. 162,413, filed June 24, 1980, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,188, by Maury L. Hull, one of the inventors herein, is directed toward a method and apparatus for achieving programmed release in ski bindings through the operation of control circuits which may comprise for example either analog or digital components. The control circuit described in that application is programmed according to equations developed in a biomechanical model in order to adapt the control circuit for computing predetermined release variables and for comparing those release variables to release criterion in order to precisely generate a release initiating signal.
Another copending application entitled Ski Binding with Universal Release, Ser. No. 177,263, filed Aug. 11, 1980, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,344, by Maury L. Hull, one of the inventors herein, is directed to a ski binding including releasable binding means for rigidly securing a ski boot to the ski with a release actuating element for releasing the ski boot from the binding upon occurrence of a release condition determined by the control circuit in the prior copending application. The releasable binding means includes circular elements, nested one within the other, and detent means being adapted for selectively locking the elements together while being capable of unlatching the elements upon operation of the release actuating element.